The Next Generation: The Summer Conspiracy
by AlwaysWearingSweaters
Summary: Ben and Riley's kids, Andi and John, are now in college and becoming adults. When their families go on a "vacation business trip" together, they confront adventure, love triangles, a historical secret, and the issues of growing up.
1. Chapter 1

"Lake Lure? Where on earth is that?" John Gates asked his father over his iPhone.

"North Carolina," Ben Gates replied. "No complaining, it's about time we had a vacation." John hung up the phone and chuckled, folding another t-shirt to pack on this last-minute summer trip. His dorm room at Washington and Lee University was gradually being emptied into one large Nike duffel bag after the sudden phone call from his father. According to the brief and sudden phone conversation, he and his whole family were headed south. Ben Gates had told his son that a well-known businessman, Tony Banks, was having some sort of conference or business meeting at his "lake mansion." He had invited Ben and some others to come with their families. John wasn't sure who Tony Banks was, but anyone with a lake mansion was fine with him.

John slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and walked out of the large brick building, the humidity in the air hitting him in the face. It was an exceptionally hot summer, the sun acting as a microscope to the human ants. John was relieved to have an opportunity for vacation, a break from the academic atmosphere of college. Of course, he thoroughly enjoyed it, taking in every bit of knowledge he could scoop up into his brain. But, during the summer, schoolwork seemed to drift further and further away from his focus and warm, sunny vacations came closer.

It was the summer of his freshman year of college and John couldn't believe that he was already going into his sophomore year. It seems like just yesterday that he was playing in the kiddie pool with his best friend, Andi Poole. Andi had gone off to college to study architecture history and engineering. John wasn't surprised, knowing that she was a complete math whiz and was completely obsessed with ancient structures like the pyramids. Even when her father insisted that it was all the work of aliens.

John always missed Andi when he was in college. They had been together since birth, nothing ever coming between them. In high school they had even experimented with being a couple in their upperclassmen years. But college was a strange thing. They couldn't see each other every day like they used too back in their high school days, and now, they didn't even have the time to make regular phone calls to one another. The lack of contact came between their more romantic relationship experimentations, and they soon became just friends once again. But it was a strange thing for them, knowing that they were missing out on each other's lives. Luckily, this wouldn't be for too much longer because Andi's family was going on this lake trip as well.

John eagerly hopped into his Jeep, beginning the drive back to Washington DC. He cranked up the air conditioning and turned the radio up even louder. It was all he could do not to violate the speed limit, his excitement taking a hold on him as he got closer by the mile. _I'm going home and then on vacation,_ he thought_. How could things get any better?_ John finally pulled into his driveway with a flourish, flooring the pedal up the familiar gravel path. The front door suddenly exploded as two blonde heads rushed at him. His twin sisters Martha and Madison tackled him with enormous welcome hugs and shrieking. Madison jokingly punched his arm.

"Dolley Madison Gates, quit beating up your big brother so he can hug his momma," an all-too-familiar voice called out. Abigail Gates stood on the steps of the front porch, wiping her flour-coated hands on a messy apron. The sight of his mother made John feel like he had never left home. He ran at her and hugged her, the smell of cookies clinging to her shirt.

"I baked some snacks for you guys, and don't worry, there are no almonds," Abigail laughed.

"Thanks, mom," John smiled. He walked into the living room, taking in the familiar scent of his home. His sentimental feelings were interrupted as footsteps entered the room.

"No hug for your dad?" Ben Gates asked innocently. John walked over to his dad, pondering if he should be the cool adult and do something like a handshake or whether he should give his dad a huge bear hug. John went with the latter and gave him a large embrace which his father returned happily.

"How's the college student?" Ben asked his son. John just smiled.

"Glad to be home," he sighed, giving his father another hug.

"Why don't you go upstairs and grab some nicer clothes," Ben suggested, "I think Banks will be throwing some sort event for some important people coming to his house."

"Which means us?" John questioned. Ben nodded in reply.

"Hurry though, we leave in a few minutes."

John ran up the stairs, skipping every other one along the way. He finally reached his room, seeing the familiar door adorned with some stickers. He twisted the doorknob to open the door but, to his surprise, it didn't budge. Instead came a voice from the inside.

"Do you have an appointment?" it firmly questioned. John's heart leapt and he suddenly let out a burst of laughter.

"I didn't think I needed one," he chuckled. A rustling noise came from the other side of the door and suddenly it gusted open.

"You thought wrong, John Gates," the voice said before John was attacked in a massive tackle hug and a flurry of brown hair.

"Andi! Andi, I can't breathe," John said as Andi Poole's arms constricted her best friend. She finally leapt off of him and John finally got a look at her.

Her face was flushed and her chest heaved with heavy breathing. An enormous smile was plastered onto her face which still had that slight spray of freckles. Her dark brown hair, slightly tangled by her surprise tackle, had gotten longer. The joyful and exhilarated look on her face reminded John of the days when they were still in school together, young and silly. She was wearing a powder-puff football t-shirt she still had from high school and some denim shorts, adding to her same-old-Andi appearance. But John knew that she had grown up plenty since then.

"You're…in my room," John laughed in happy disbelief.

"And you're finally here!" she answered joyfully. John raised his eyebrows. _Finally?_

"Have you been waiting on me?"

"Well, yeah! We're going on vacation aren't we?!" she said jumping up and down. John crashed the palm of his hand to his face. Of course! Riley's family was coming on the trip too. Tony Banks had invited several "colleagues" including both of their families. Almost reaffirming his realization, Andrew Poole, Andi's brother, walked into John's room.

"Come on, guys, we're ready to hit the road," he said, motioning to the window outside.

"I'll ride with John," Andi stated as she grabbed her travel bag and walking out. John smiled to himself as he looked outside. Both families were already driving off and there sat his Jeep, waiting for him to hop in and drive away with Andi. _Thank God it's summer. _


	2. Chapter 2

"So Johnboy," Andi's voice called over the loud radio of John's jeep, "how's life been?" John smiled to himself, an old feeling resurfacing inside of him. He felt like he and Andi were back in middle school, carefree and young during their summer vacation and just as goofy as ever. Of course, they were different now. They were older and had more responsibilities, but Andi never really changed. John figured that Andi would always be the same.

"Ya know what, life is pretty good," he said honestly. "I love college, I'm doing well in all of my classes, finally broke up with that girl Spencer, I've got a job, and now I'm on vacation with you. So I'm doing pretty darn great." Andi chuckled to herself, glancing out her window and back at John.

"Me too," she said, staring out the windshield of the car as if she was looking ahead at something lovely. John sensed something more mature or serious in her voice, but he couldn't place what the difference in her tone was.

"Good," he replied, pausing.

"You broke up with Spencer, eh?" she asked him. John nodded.

Spencer had been his girlfriend for several months during college. She was a beautiful girl, blonde and tan with a successful career in almost every sport at Washington and Lee. John had been with her after meeting her at a party. Their relationship was healthy, but Spencer was different from John in too many ways than he would have cared for. But their breakup had also been for other underlying reasons, reasons that Spencer didn't even know about herself. John intended to keep it that way. Especially with Andi. John quickly changed the subject, deciding not to let Andi pry too far. However tension had already seeped into the compact space of the jeep and John spoke quickly.

"Do you still have that boyfriend? What's his name, Kurt? Calvin…Corey…Kiss-ass…"

"Keagan," she laughed and hit his arm playfully, "his name is Keagan. And yes."

"Ahh…Keagan," John said almost to himself and with mock hatred. Andi laughed at John and then things were quiet.

The two of them sat there and listened to the music play in the car and enjoyed the warm wind blowing through the windows. The sun dropped lower until everything was washed in a golden light. Soon, the North Carolina mountains loomed ahead, the light shining through the clouds and forming splashes of light on the surfaces of the great land masses. Before John and Andi even realized it, a shimmering lake appeared in between two great mountains, the gold hitting its surface and reflecting the sparkle in the car windows. John put his sunglasses on to avoid the glare but Andi stared straight at the water, breathing in the fresh scent of mountain air and summer. It made her feel light and airy, carefree and excited about the next few days to come.

"I guess this is it," John finally said, approaching a steep driveway of an unknown house, hidden behind the hill of the pavement. Andi peered over the hill but didn't seem to see anything.

"Go ahead and pull in," she said, continuing to stretch her neck to get a better view. John slowly entered the driveway, suddenly seeing the back of the house come into view.

"Holy mother…" Andi said in astonishment.

The first thing visible was the enormous garage which already contained a large SUV and a black, glossy sports car. John saw his family van parked nearby, looking embarrassingly comical next to the sleek modern vehicle nearby. The house that the garage was connected to, however, was nothing short of incredible. A large window towered over a sturdy front door that was preceded by a stone walkway to the front. The outside of the house was made of stone and heavy wood which was expensive, no doubt. The length of the house went on further than thought possible for being hidden in such a tight space. The enormous place was already huge from the back, but from the back side that was facing the lake, John and Andi both knew that it probably had an outdoor deck, or several. Pleasant music played from a speaker concealed in the porch roof, probably a part of a housewide stereo system.

The sound of leaves under tires approached and Andi spotted her family car pull into the same driveway. Her father and mother were up front, their eyes both widening at the sight of the massive place. Andi's seventeen year-old brother Andrew had come along for the trip. He hopped out of the car while adjusting his shades, looking at the impressive structure ahead. Andrew was the calm, cool, and collected one in the Poole family, not to mention also tall, dark, and handsome. But his face when seeing the Banks home was so astounded that Andi snorted in laughter.

Suddenly, the front door swung open and a man stepped out onto the porch. He was about John's father's age, wearing a crisp button-down shirt with khaki shorts. He was in astounding shape for being a middle-aged man, and had a unique but attractive appearance to his face. The man had on tan boating shoes and held a glass of something in his hand. Sunglasses were folded and hanging from the neck of his shirt.

"You must be Riley Poole," he said with a pleasant smile and a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. "I'm Tony Banks." He extended his hand and Riley shook it warmly.

"Nice to meet you," he said. "This is my wife, Phoebe." Tony Banks shook her hand as well, saying something kind to her before leading them all towards the front door.

"Thank you all so much for coming by," Tony said. "Gates is already inside. We were just talking about you."


	3. Chapter 3

The house of Tony Banks was immaculate. That's the only word that could be used to describe the enormous lake mansion that Andi, John and their families were standing in. The foyer was cavernous, their footsteps echoing across the rock floor. The stony ground changed to luxurious hardwoods as the visitors entered and made their way into the living area. The ceiling towered over them, a skylight illuminating the room from the highest peak. The staircase ascended in a spiral from the left of the room, large with an intricate wrought iron railing on the side. The kitchen had all of the latest appliances, next to a bar that held shelves upon shelves of high-class wines. In the kitchen, two small women were cleaning, one with a vacuum and the other with Clorox.

"We're all getting ready for your visit," Tony mentioned, "And I wanted to do something lighthearted before I head to the conference center to talk with Mr. Gates and Mr. Poole here. So I'm going to be throwing a small get-together up at the lake clubhouse. You all packed some clothes on the dressy side, right?" He patted Riley's shoulder in a friendly way. Riley nodded, a bit astounded at both the house and at how much Tony reminded him of a movie star.

"I like to think of this house as my project," Tony Banks said as he walked ahead of them nonchalantly, adjusting his sunglasses that were folded on the neck of his shirt. "I bought the place and renovated it, adding in the third deck on the house and the boathouse outside."

Mr. Banks looked casual, like a man on vacation, but he had a sort of class about him that made him seem as if he belonged to the house. He looked like he had been taking advantage of the lake as well which was evident by his evenly tan complexion. Andi shifted in her sneakers, feeling totally out of place standing in the massive, luxurious area.

"This is amazing," Andrew said to himself, scratching his black hair.

"Thank you," Tony said from the kitchen, "my wife is off giving Ben and Abigail a tour. You'll have to meet him later."

Almost on command, John's parents stepped down the staircase, laughing about some joke that nobody else had heard. Behind them came another pair of long, tan legs sporting sandals. The beautiful woman descended the stairs, adjusting her black blouse over her khaki shorts. Her dark brown hair was up in a causal yet stylish ponytail.

"Tony, honey, have you not offered our guests something to drink?" the woman said playfully. Tony smiled, his white teeth standing out against his tanned skin.

"Everyone, this is my wife, Starr," he said.

"Starr?" Andrew said in a judgmental way almost to himself, receiving an elbow in the ribs from Andi. Riley and Ben stared, and Abigail cleared her throat disgruntledly.

"Your house is immaculate, Mr. Banks," Abigail said kindly as she approached him, Ben following closely behind.

"Thank you. And please, call me Tony," Tony paused. He then suddenly acted as if he remembered something important. "I'll show you where we're having the little event I'm throwing in a couple hours," Banks said, motioning for the families to follow him. Andi caught up next to John, looking at him and chuckling.

"Is there anything that this place doesn't have?" she asked him with wide eyes. John pretended to straighten his invisible tie and slick back his hair.

Tony Banks led them across the room to two transparent sliding doors. He opened them, striding out onto the deck outside. The families followed, their eyes widening as they saw what was in front of them.

"Wow," John said quietly.

It was the first time that the group had gotten a real view of the lake. Before, Lake Lure had been obscured by houses and trees. Now, the entire lake was spread out before them, surrounded by green, peaceful mountains whose peaks were brushed by wispy clouds. The sky was an immaculate blue, reflecting in the lake itself which was occupied by several jet-skis and a few families enjoying their day on pontoon boats. The warm wind and the sound of the ebb and flow of the lake tempted them all to jump in.

"Welcome to Lake Lure!" Tony said, spreading his arms out and leaning against the rail of the dock as if he was about to have his picture taken. He pointed to the east. "If you look up in that direction, that house right there is where I'm throwing our little party tonight. Yes, that stone lodge right there, the clubhouse. The one with the lights on the dock. It's a lovely place inside, very spacious. I can't wait for you to meet some of my colleagues. And I hope your children can come as well. Mine will be there waiting to meet them."

Tony flashed them a brilliant smile and left.


	4. Chapter 4

Just as expected, the lodge was beautiful. The exterior was made up of light-colored stone, an enormous white marble-like deck looming over the lake. Its windows were warmly alight and party guests were visible through the glass, gliding past the windowpanes in their formalwear. The inside of the building was just as impressive as the outward appearance. It had an enormous glossy floor surrounded by walls covered in cool green paint. Flowing white linen curtains framed the sides of the huge windows and another set of double doors, all of which overlooked a spacious stone balcony that hung over the lake. On the roof over the balcony, there hung Japanese lanterns, already lighting the deck in the evening dimness.

One tuxedo after another came through the double doors, followed by just as many evening gowns that traipsed through. Guest after guest filed in until John Gates finally entered, awkwardly adjusting his tie. He looked uneasily around the room for someone he knew, hoping that he wasn't the only person who felt a bit out of place at the upscale gathering. Almost all of the guests looked flawless and practically exuded importance, making him feel insignificant and small. John especially felt apprehensive about meeting Tony's children, considering that Tony and his wife were practically movie stars.

John, unsure of what he should do, headed over to a long banquet table which was covered in small hors d'oeuvres. He grabbed a small plate, piling on some cookies that were unrecognizable, when suddenly someone cleared their throat behind him.

"You're going to have to hurry, sir, some of us are waiting," the voice said. John felt himself grin.

"I'm just keeping you away from all the food, Andi, you know how you get with finger sandwiches," he responded. Andi smiled behind him.

"Sure you are." John turned around, laughing, but felt his laughter subside after he saw Andi.

Her hair was loose, but it flowed in carefully styled waves down her shoulders. She stood closer to his height due to the shoes she wore; tall silver heels. John rarely saw Andi in heels. Her navy blue dress streamed down to the floor, moving as she walked. And she was wearing more makeup that usual. Even lipstick. She was Andi, but she looked completely different. And she was incredibly beautiful. John had always found Andi to be very pretty but this was another kind of pretty. He preferred laid-back Andi because that's who she was. Andi was never one to dress up or try to impress others with her looks, sometimes even insisting that she wasn't an attractive girl. But seeing her dressed like this made him realize what Andi denied about herself and tried to hide. She glowed.

"Everything alright?" she said, her eyebrows raised in a classic Andi expression. John felt his ears burn red from embarrassment, hoping that he hadn't been staring at her too blatantly.

"I've got food in front of me so I'm fantastic," he replied. Andi chuckled.

"Well, what do you think? It's beautiful, isn't it," she said, glancing around the room. John nodded.

"Oh yeah, very beautiful…hey, have you met Tony's kids yet? I heard that he's wanting us to meet them."

As soon as the words left John's mouth, the room grew silent. Everyone's attention was directed towards the large double doors of the hall; Tony Banks stood there with his wife, looking as immaculate as ever. He sported a full tuxedo and his wife wore a form-fitting floor length silver gown, no doubt attracting the eye of every man in the room. A young girl, about 18, stood behind them in a purple dress, most likely Tony's daughter.

"Good evening," Tony said to the crowd. There was no need for him to shout, the room had grown silent. The guests all echoed his reply. "Thank you all for coming to my event this evening. I hope you all enjoy yourselves and become acquainted with each other, as well as the food we have prepared." The room laughed back at him, and John gave a sarcastic chortle. The room suddenly moved back into action and Tony, much to John and Andi's surprise, made his way towards the two of them.

"Hey, guys," Tony said, a friendly smile on his face. "I'd like for you to meet my daughter, Katie."

Katie extended a tan arm to John first, who shook her hand tentatively, and then shook hands with Andi. Andi eyed Katie, who was, indeed, a pretty girl. Katie had auburn hair that was down much like hers but somewhat poofier. Andi glanced at Katie's purple dress. _Purple isn't her color _Andi thought, reassuring her now-self-conscious-self that she still looked presentable next to Katie Banks.

"I have to go greet some guests, but my son," Tony said, "is wandering around here somewhere. He will probably introduce himself soon."

"One step ahead of you dad," a voice said behind the group. Andi and John turned around and came face to face with the second Banks child.

John immediately noticed that he was even more impressive than his entire family. The man was his age, a bit taller, and had incredibly white teeth. His eyes were a perfect blue and his shorter dark hair looked as if it had been done by a stylist. But John barely had any more time to decide what he thought of this man due to his thoughts being interrupted by a shriek next to him.

"OH MY GOD!" Andi nearly screamed, attracting the attention of several party attendees. She flung herself at the boy, wrapping her arms around him and holding onto him tightly. John noticed that the man didn't mind and only smiled, hugging Andi back. John looked around uncomfortably.

"Um, Andi?" John said in a confused manner, "is this normally how you greet other guys?"

"No! John, this is Keagan!" Andi said as she let go of her captive, beaming.

"Keagan?"

"Yes! You know, my boyfriend! From college! This is him!"

"Wait," John said, feeling suddenly nauseated, "Keagan? Your college boyfriend is Tony's son?" Andi shrugged and smiled in disbelief.

"Surprise!" Keagan said, flashing his perfect teeth towards John. John stretched his mouth into a smile back at him. Andi stood there in giddy disbelief.

"I had never met Keagan's parents so I guess…I guess I just had no idea and…Keagan, did you know I was coming?"

"Guilty as charged," Keagan said, raising his hands in a surrender. Andi squealed again, putting one arm around Keagan and one around John.

"Ohhhh this is so exciting! Having my two favorite boys here with me for the summer…this is going to be the most fun ever! We're gonna do all kinds of stuff together. And John, you and Keagan have to be best friends. It's mandatory. Oh, by the way, Keagan, this is John, John, this is Keagan."

The two boys shook hands, John's grip noticingly limper than Keagan's. He was in a bit of a daze after Andi's explosion of excitement, taking in the entire situation_. Keagan is a Banks?_ John thought_, go figure that the one serious boyfriend she has in college is the epitome of the perfect man. _It was true that Keagan was extraordinary, John couldn't deny it. What was he saying? He wanted Andi to be happy! But John felt a sting at the same time due to the fact that Andi had another special boy in her life besides him. Even though John and Andi were only friends, John always felt protective over Andi and felt a sense of specialness about his relationship with her. They had known each other their entire lives and most of her other friends were females, so he felt unique. With Andi having another boy in her life, he felt somewhat jealous. Deep down, he worried that his jealousy was caused by other feelings, but he had always dismissed those in order to keep their friendship uncomplicated. After all, Andi seemed to be happy standing there, arm in arm with Keagan. John couldn't compromise that, could he?

"Well, this was a surprise," John said with a forced laugh. Andi beamed at the two boys, pulling them close to her in a somewhat awkward group hug.

"I'm so excited! Oh, I'll be back, I have to tell my parents that you're here, Keagan. You boys can get to know each other some and start on that whole best-friends thing, ok?" With that, Andi, scampered off to find her family, disappearing somewhere in the crowd. John watched as she sprinted away, smiling grimly to himself.

This was going to be an interesting summer.


End file.
